Publisher’snote PUBLISHING STAFF Looking Up i


don’t want to sound like a cockeyed optimist but I really believe things are getting better out there. We’re not back to the good old days, but the worst seems to really be over.


Having made the rounds of the winter shows and markets and watched the financial performances of some of the public retailers in the fashion business, it really looks like we’re starting to see a genuine


improvement in our business.


Look at Saks Fifth Avenue. They were one of the hardest hit of the big upscale stores when the economy tanked and some people even thought they wouldn’t make it. But by fine-tuning their merchandise assortment and get- ting a tighter grip on expenses, they have managed to rebound nicely. Like Saks, Neiman Marcus has been the beneficiary of the return of the luxury market. Again, it’s not like it used to be, but it’s certainly much better than it has been.


And it’s not just the luxury market. Mid-tier retailers like Macy’s and J.C. Penney are putting up good performance numbers, too. True, some of this is the result of cost-cutting, tighter inventories and lower overheads. But at least some of it is just because comp store sales are up.


All of this bodes well for independent specialty retailers. With traffic returning to the malls, specialty stores located in retail centers will feel the impact of more shoppers. Same thing for strip centers and in-town locations.


Some recent findings from Cotton Inc.’s Lifestyle Monitor Research further make the point. Women who were surveyed said they were shopping at smaller venues more than they used to. They still pick the big mass retailers as the first choice for their apparel needs but they put specialty retailers ahead of department stores when it comes to shopping for fashion and wow, that’s something, isn’t it?


This same kind of positive feeling was in the air at shows both in Las Vegas and New York over the past two months.


There was certainly more activity at the shows than I remember from a year ago as retailers coming off good holiday seasons were just feeling better about business.


I’m not saying we’re done. Unemployment is still too high and housing sales too low for the economy to stage a full recovery. But I’ve just got to feel better than I did at this time last year.


I’m also feeling pretty good about this new issue of Specialty Insider. We’ve got a real hands-on cover story about the denim market, a core business for many of our readers. There are some great insights into key retailers and lots of our signature Insider Tips that provide the practical help you need to run your business.


Things are getting better but we all need all the help we can get.


President and Publisher, Editorial Director: Ralph Erardy


rerardy@specialtyinsider.com


Associate Publishers: Susan Smith


ssmith@specialtyinsider.com Dale Reich


dreich@specialtyinsider.com Charles Grecky


cgrecky@specialtyinsider.com Jim Stovall


West Coast Director jstovall@specialtyinsider.com


Executive Vice President Marketing: Tony Sarcone


tsarcone@specialtyinsider.com


Social Media Manager: Emily Erardy


EDITORIAL STAFF


Executive Creative Director: Robert Cordes Kline


rkline@specialtyinsider.com Contributing Editors:


Suzanne Blecher, Robin Lewis, Jessica Pallay, Emanuel Weintraub, Arthur Zaczkiewicz


Production Director: Michael Jacobsen


Specialty Insider™ ©2011 is a trademark of Insider Communications Group, LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by authors and contributors to Specialty Insider are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Specialty Insider is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles appearing in Specialty Insider may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher.


Specialty Insider is published 4x annually by Insider Communications Group, LLC. Subscription price: one year, $40.00.


POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Specialty Insider, 114 Sunset Lane, Tenafly, NJ 07670


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Ralph Erardy President and Publisher


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